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Book  

The Right to Vote: The Contested History of Democracy in the United States

Issues

Institutional Reforms, Voting and Elections

Learn more about the book

Most Americans take for granted their right to vote, whether they choose to exercise it or not. But the history of suffrage in the U.S. is, in fact, the story of a struggle to achieve this right by our society’s marginalized groups. In The Right to Vote, HKS historian Alexander Keyssar explores the evolution of suffrage over the course of the nation’s history. Examining the many features of the history of the right to vote in the U.S.—class, ethnicity, race, gender, religion, and age—the book explores the conditions under which American democracy has expanded and contracted over the years. Keyssar presents convincing evidence that the history of the right to vote has not been one of a steady history of expansion and increasing inclusion, noting that voting rights contracted substantially in the U.S. between 1850 and 1920. Keyssar also presents a controversial thesis: that the primary factor promoting the expansion of the suffrage has been war and the primary factors promoting contraction or delaying expansion have been class tension and class conflict. The June 2009 edition includes a new chapter on voting rights since 2000.

Basic Books, 2009

More on this Issue

New Interactive Dashboard Maps the Voter Information Landscape Ahead of the 2026 Midterms 
Captiol building with trend graphic

Case Study

New Interactive Dashboard Maps the Voter Information Landscape Ahead of the 2026 Midterms 

A new interactive dashboard maps where Americans are finding voting information and learning about key aspects of the voting process—from sourcing polling locations to voter registration—ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Developed in collaboration with the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, the National Internet Observatory at Northeastern University, the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation’s Program on Democracy and the Informed Public, and The Civic Health and Institutions Project, the research offers new insights into the voter information landscape in the United States.

In Appearance Before Congress, Stephen Richer Testifies on Alleged Noncitizen Voting in New Jersey
Stephen Richer testifying before Congress.

Feature

In Appearance Before Congress, Stephen Richer Testifies on Alleged Noncitizen Voting in New Jersey

On Tuesday, September 15, 2026, former Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, now an Ash Senior Fellow and election administration expert, testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight. The hearing examined allegations that approximately 6,600 noncitizens were improperly registered to vote in New Jersey between June 2023 and June 2024.

 

Allen Lab Fellow Spotlight: City Charters Are Deliberative Democracy’s Friends

Commentary

Allen Lab Fellow Spotlight: City Charters Are Deliberative Democracy’s Friends

Allen Lab Fellow Tyler Fisher examines the untapped potential of city charters as a vehicle for deliberative democracy, arguing that advocates should work to embed tools like citizen assemblies, participatory budgeting, and town meetings directly into the governing architecture of cities, institutionalizing deliberative democracy one municipality at a time.